New Computer Time...

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

...so what do you recommend, Windows 8, 8.1 or Windows 7?

I use the computer for photographic work and to drive the home sound system. 

[Doug]

I'm still not quite sold on Windows 8.0 yet, though Microsoft realized that they screwed up a few things on it (which is why they came out with 8.1 so quickly).

If you're not getting a touchscreen system, stick with Windows 7, but get the 64 bit version and not the 32 bit, especially if you're getting a system with 8 or more gigs of RAM.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

Lots of good info there for RAM limits on each Windows version. FYI, "x86" is 32 bit. "x64" is 64 bit.

We run Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit on all systems here in this house, with the exception of my laptop, which is Windows 8 64 bit (having issues getting it upgraded to 8.1).

If you can afford it, get a system with 8 to 16 gigs of RAM. You might pay a little bit more for it up front, but if you need to upgrade the RAM a couple years down the line, you'll pay even MORE for it then.

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

Thanks, Doug.

[HogScoutMaster]

7, every other OS suxs

[TomasPistola]

I prefer 7 but run 8.1 on my computers (got it for free so figured what the hell).

[East Clintwood]

I'd go with 7.  I really don't like 8 at all.

[Breems]

Have you picked yet?

Get 8.1. Microsoft has improved virtually every shortcoming present in 8 and has scaled back on the "one OS for all devices" crap they were prancing around with 8's release. With 8.1, you essentially get everything included in Windows 7. The biggest complaint about Windows 8 is undoubtedly the new Start Screen (which I've grown to like) and modern UI. As a desktop user, you can basically bypass and ignore that. You'll also be getting more frequent security/OS updates due to Microsoft's new update strategy. There are also performance improvements in 8.1 compared to 7 that I've benchmarked myself on the exact same hardware, and the boot time is lighting fast compared to 7.

As for RAM, don't get caught up in the RAM game. It's snake oil for computers and turns into diminishing returns quite quickly. Try to benchmark how much you use up during your most intensive tasks and go from there, although be sure to allocate some wiggle room to be future-proof. I personally wouldn't go over 8GB. You can power a home theater system with virtually any modern PC on the market. Photo editing software *may* require more RAM than usual, but it's not that intensive. I'd focus more on processing power for rendering and HDD/SSD space for storage.